A Rather Loony Christmas
by MarkusAkerbus
Summary: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.
1. Beside the Lake

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER I

Beside the Lake

December arrived, and by that time Harry had developed a habit of wandering the Hogwarts grounds after dinner, morosely marking the ever-replenishing snow with his tracks. Between Umbridge's terminally irritating presence and the alarming increase in homework for the fifth-years, he would much rather spend his time alone. Ron and Hermione, in any case, were increasingly bogged down by their prefect duties, which had managed to grow exponentially with the onset of the holidays, so he was left rather peevish and wanting to get away from it all.

He trudged through the snow along the shore of the Black Lake one evening, Hagrid's impending probation making his already sodden shoes all the heavier. Umbridge was getting to be a real bitch. He reckoned he was starting to hate her as much as Snape, going after Hagrid simply because he was a half-breed. Hagrid was one of the few things Harry still liked about Hogwarts.

_And Cho_, he thought, although the dark-haired girl hardly looked at him outside D.A. meetings. He hoped that the upcoming Christmas break would clear up a few things between them. Maybe if he could get her under the mistletoe…

He reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and hovered on the border for a moment. He decided against proceeding. The sky was getting dark already, and he had a star chart to finish for Astronomy.

He turned around to head back to the castle and almost bowled over a small, blonde figure walking in the opposite direction.

"Oh, hello, Harry," she said vaguely. "I didn't see you there. Have you been watching for Blibbering Humdingers too?"

"Er, of course not…I mean, no, I was just…nothing." Harry stopped. "What about you?"

"I was looking for—"

"Right," said Harry, mentally kicking himself, "that was a stupid question."

"There're no stupid questions, Harry."

He smiled to himself. Even in his foul mood Luna made him feel better.

"Well, I was just heading back, so…" He gestured loosely in the direction of the castle.

"That's great, we can go together," she said brightly. Harry started off through the snow, and she fell into step a few feet to his right.

Harry glanced at her. "Erm, Luna?"

"Yes?"

He indicated the generous amount of space between them questioningly.

"Oh," she said dreamily, "I wanted to leave space for the Fuzz-Eared Larkspurs." She smiled at him. "They get grumpy if you get in the way," she added.

"Right, well…okay." They walked in silence for a few moments.

"I heard you were banned from Quidditch…"

"By Umbridge, yeah."

"Well, that's good," she said, "It was a bit of a distraction, wasn't it?"

Harry almost choked. "What?" She was starting to sound like Hermione.

"I mean, now you can focus on other things."

Harry shrugged, calming down. "I don't really want to focus, I guess." She looked at him. "I mean, I can't stand Umbridge, and Hagrid might go on probation, and no Quidditch, and Cho—er…" He cleared his throat. "Nothing." He kept walking.

Luna was watching his face. "You know, Cho talks about you a lot."

Harry's head snapped over to look at her. "What? Er, I mean…okay. What…kind of things does she say?"

"Oh, just about you and Cedric and…"

Harry made a noise of disgust.

"Harry?"

"That's all she every wants to talk about."

"Well, she really cared about him," said Luna gently. "And she cares about you too. She's just trying to figure out how she feels."

"You know, I reckon I'd rather be distracted after all. This stuff's too complicated." Harry looked at her. After a moment he said, "So, er…what were you just saying about…Frosty Larkers?"

She laughed. "Frost-Eared Larkspurs."

"Yes, those."

"Well, they're these adorable little blue creatures, like fairies," said Luna. "They're invisible most of the time but I think I saw one when I was on vacation in Scotland…"

* * *

Harry walked her all the way back to the Ravenclaw tower, and after she disappeared inside he just stood there staring at the door. Then he shook his head, smiling to himself, and turned back around.

By the time he arrived back at the common room Ron and Hermione were already done with patrolling the corridors, and they both looked up from the couch as he clambered through the portrait hole.

"You're back rather late," said Hermione. Ron went back to coloring in the margins of his copy of _Hogwarts, A History_.

"Er, yeah…" he said, trying to wipe the idiotic smile off of his face, "took the long way back."

"You look ridiculously happy," she observed, before writing another line of her essay.

"Oh, well…yeah, I guess so."

"Yeah, mate," Ron commented without looking up, "been hitting the Firewhisky again?"

"Nah, just…had a good stroll." He walked past them to the boys' dormitory, ignoring the looks of some of the fourth-years.

Ron looked sideways at Hermione. "What's up with him?"

Hermione laughed. "Never you mind."

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in ages. He dressed, grabbed his bag, and was halfway out the portrait hole when he remembered his astronomy chart.

Cursing, he wheeled about and ran back into the boys' dormitory. Ripping the curtains of the four-poster aside he proceeded to poke Ron violently until he responded.

"Shove off, Harry." Ron rolled over and tried to ignore the fingers repeatedly being planted in his ribs.

"I need to see your astronomy homework."

"Bloody hell, mate," Ron said into his pillow, "I didn't do it either. Go find Hermione."

"I just copied her paper on Asiatic antivenoms yesterday."

"I don't care, ask her again."

There was no way Harry would do that, so he decided to rush it at breakfast. He stumbled back out of the common room and down to the Great Hall. Hermione wasn't there at all, so he threw his textbook open on the Gryffindor table and started flipping pages. He found the chapter on Mars and skimmed through the first few lines.

"Was it really necessary," grumbled Harry to a bowl of oranges as he pulled out his chart, "to make every sentence a riddle?" He read the paragraph again, but it didn't make any more sense than before.

"You look flustered this morning."

Harry looked up. "Oh, hey, Luna."

She sat down next to him and glanced at his blank paper. "Invisible ink? Teachers here tend not to give credit for that you know."

Harry couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Nah, I just forgot." He looked over at her thoughtfully. "Luna…you wouldn't happen to know anything about astronomy…"

* * *

There was only an hour of darkness before class started, so Harry and Luna hurried up to the Astronomy tower directly after dinner. Harry set up his telescope and peered up at the darkening sky for a moment.

"Just need to fill out some positions," Harry said, retrieving his sextant from his bag.

Luna sat back and watched him. "So what's the story behind that," she said, pointing at a rather vicious-looking bite taken out of his book bag.

"Hmm?" Harry paused in his work. "Oh, we were trying to bait nifflers once. Guess I wasn't that good, cause it went after my bag instead." He pointed at his black wizard's hat, which he still kept in his bag. "One time Buckb…this hippogriff thought it was a chew toy or something, ripped it right up. Haven't worn it since, of course."

Luna smiled. "Hagrid's Buckbeak?"

Harry looked at her. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I used to go down and see him second year. Best friend I ever had," she admitted softly. "Never did find out what happened to him."

Harry laughed. "He's staying at my godfather's place in London. You know, if you want to see him…"

Luna beamed at him. "That would be wonderful." Harry smiled too. "But…how? I mean, why would Hagrid give him away?"

"Well, they were trying to execute Buckbeak, and—you remember the…" Harry trailed off. He'd been about to say 'dementors,' but he felt suddenly cold.

"Harry…" Luna's voice lost all of its vagueness. The intensity of her concern made Harry feel wobbly at the knees. "I didn't mean to get…I mean, I'm sorry if I—"

"No, it's—it's fine." Harry felt the urge to glance around and check for the groping hooded figures.

Luna was silent for a moment. Then she scooted closer, putting her hand on Harry's arm. "You'll be alright, Harry."

"Yeah." Part of him believed her. "So, er…you got anything interesting in your bag?"

Luna's face brightened, and she dove for her bag and started shoveling through it. Harry smiled and looked through his telescope again.

* * *

"Harry, not one of these astronomical deductions is correct. I thought you said you got help."

Harry shrugged. "I thought so too." Then he started laughing, and Hermione just had to look on and wonder.

END OF CHAPTER I

* * *

4/25/14

Hey all,

Just want to apologize for any canon inaccuracies in the story—it's been about five years, regrettably, since I last read the novels. Please let me know if there are any mistakes that are bothering you.

Also, sorry to those of you who may not like short chapters. Because of my tight schedule I can't afford to spend large chunks of time on writing, and I want to get what I've done out to you guys as soon as possible.

Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter, I'll have the next one up as soon as possible, which might not be for several days, unfortunately. In any case, please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum_,

Markus Akerbus


	2. Into the Quibbler

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER II

Into the Quibbler

"What's a good example of a minority group suppressed by the Wizengamot in England before Tiberius was appointed Chief Warlock?" Hermione looked at the two boys. "Other than the Edingrad goblins, I mean."

It was late Friday night, but the bushy-haired girl had insisted on finishing her History of Magic essay. Harry and Ron had opted out.

Ron shrugged before prodding one of his knights forward across the chessboard. "House-elves? I dunno."

Hermione looked at him with an expression that was close to disgust. "House-elves didn't become a wizard tradition until at least ten years later, Ron. How could you forget?"

"How could I," said Ron dryly.

Harry chewed his bottom lip for a moment. "How about the incursion of the Hopping Hattocks by Carlisle Rid-Giry?" He decided to move his remaining rook. "That was 1865, right?" He glanced up at Hermione.

"…?" She looked dumbfounded, which was an unusual condition for her. "What is…I've never even heard of that. I thought the only notable thing Rid-Giry did was renew the Leixlip-Kent agreement with…" She started shuffling through her notes. "How did this incursion happen again?"

"Well, the peasants around Bristol were complaining about the Hattocks eating from the pig troughs on their farms, so Rid-Giry—"

"What the blazes is a Hattock?" interjected Ron

"Little stumpy thing," said Harry without looking up from the chessboard. "You don't see them much anymore since he drove them into the forest on the border of Wales."

"Where did you say you read this?" Hermione was still searching through her papers.

"Oh, Luna was just telling me yesterday. We talked about a lot of random…" He stopped at his friends' expressions.

"You actually believed that…" Ron started.

Harry's anger flared up, and he pushed himself away from the chessboard. "What? That what? Why can't I believe her if I want to?" He stood up violently. "Better than believing all this shit we're being told by Umbridge or Trelawney or even Dumbledore. Who knows what he's not telling us."

"Geez, mate, I was just saying…I mean, she's not the most reliable source."

Harry made a noise of disbelief. He turned on Hermione, who was very deliberately avoiding his gaze as she wrote another line of her essay. "What's _your_ problem?"

Hermione put her quill down and looked up at him. "I just think that it's not…good for you to be distracted with Luna. You need to foc—"

Harry ripped his glasses off and threw them across the room. "No I don't. I don't need to focus and I don't _want_ to. You guys sit here and act like you know what's going on but you _don't_. No one does." He felt suddenly tired, and he threw himself back down onto the couch. He looked at Hermione.

"I don't know what you're so angry about. It's not like he actually reads that stuff…"

* * *

The next morning Harry didn't get up until half past nine. He opened his eyes slowly, his face sweaty, his mouth dry, and his teeth aching. Groaning, he rolled over and thumped onto the floor. It was several more minutes before he found the will to get up.

The dormitory was already deserted, and Harry yawned as he stared across the untidy beds. He rubbed his eyes belatedly and put on his glasses.

Hermione hadn't said anything to him after he snapped at her, but Harry had a feeling there was something she wanted to tell him. Maybe he'd find out today.

Unbuttoning his nightshirt, he slid it off and wiped his face and neck with it before tossing it onto his bed. He went over to the window and pushed it open, letting the chilly morning air wash over his bare chest. He was still thinner than he would have liked, but he was getting somewhere. He poked his biceps experimentally. Then he shrugged and made his way into the washroom.

* * *

When Harry got down to the Great Hall Hermione was sitting by herself at the Gryffindor table, reading her Arithmancy textbook. She glanced up as he approached.

"Saved this for you." She pushed the plate of toast across the table and went back to her book.

"Thanks," said Harry, plopping himself down on the bench. "Where's Ron?"

"Went off to play Quidditch or something."

Harry was still yawning. "Sounds good. I could use some fresh air."

Hermione looked mildly surprised. "Aren't you gonna take another walk with Luna?"

Harry shrugged indifferently. "I dunno, I figured we'd…wait, how'd you know about that?"

"Isn't that why you guys have been talking so much?"

"Yeah, but…" Harry peered at her. "Never mind." He raised the toast to his mouth and bit into it. He chewed quietly for a few moments.

Hermione was watching him over the top of her book. Finally, she said, "Look, Harry, about you and Luna…just be careful."

Harry swallowed his food before answering. "You think Luna's gonna…hurt me? Why would she—"

"No, I mean be careful with _her_. She's not exactly…" Hermione trailed off. Harry followed her gaze and found the young woman in question walking toward them. He quickly stood up, almost tripping over himself. Hermione suppressed a laugh.

"Hi, Harry," said Luna vaguely.

"Er, hey, Luna," said Harry, "You look…dreamy."

The blonde-haired teen glowed. "You really think so, Harry?"

Harry sputtered. "What? No, I mean…er, nothing." Hermione let out a very un-ladylike snort. They both looked at her, but she ignored them.

Harry turned back to Luna. "So, er, I suppose—I mean, d'you want to…?"

"Of course." She beamed at him. "Should we go now?"

"Well, er…sure, I guess—yes, I mean, I'd love to. Let's go." Harry put his hand on her waist and started leading her away. Hermione glared at him meaningfully. He made a face at her and then followed Luna out.

* * *

Luna glanced at him as they crossed the courtyard. "What happened, Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Your glasses."

"What about them?" Harry took them off questioningly, but his vision was too blurry to make anything out.

"Here," said Luna, taking the glasses from him gently. She tapped them with her wand, causing the entire frame to glow momentarily. She handed the glasses back to Harry.

"Thanks," said Harry, putting them back on in time to see Luna swatting at the air insistently, "I kinda threw them acr…wait, what did you just do?"

"Oh, I was just making sure there're no—"

"No, before that. With my glasses, I mean. You just…you didn't even..." Harry trailed off. Luna was looking at him strangely. "Since when have you been able to do nonverbal magic?"

"Oh, that…I don't know," said Luna vaguely, "I guess I just do, sometimes."

"So, do you just say the spells in your head?" asked Harry excitedly. "Wait, I reckon I can do it." He fumbled around inside his robe for his wand.

Luna laughed lightly. "No, silly, it doesn't work like that."

Harry looked disappointed.

"I mean, I guess I just _feel_ it," said Luna, "I don't think any spells or anything. I just know what I want to happen and…" She shrugged and went back to clearing the air with her hand.

_Well then_. Harry's expression reflected his thoughts. He pointed his wand at a nearby squirrel, trying to construct the scene in his head. _Fly_. The squirrel just looked unimpressed, and it scurried off into the snow.

Harry turned on a tree. Luna had said to feel it. _Burn_, he thought violently. The tree exploded, and he jumped in surprise.

Luna was watching him, and she shook her head at his antics. "You're being too emotional, Harry. You need to be calm."

"But you just said…"

"Yes, feel it. But you have to keep yourself blank. Otherwise you'll lose control."

"But…"

Luna stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. She moved to him and placed a hand over his heart.

"What's this here, Harry?" she asked him pointedly, and Harry knew immediately what she was talking about—a giant ball of stress and anxiety and frustration rolled up tight in his chest. It was always there. "Take a breath—a deep breath, Harry. There. Calm down."

Harry did as she was saying, and it worked. He could feel it loosening inside of him. But at the same time he could feel his heart beating faster and faster. He just couldn't get it to slow down.

Luna was looking at him funny. "You're not trying," she said, letting go of him and starting away.

"No, I swear I am," said Harry, going after her. He fell into step next to her. "Luna, I was trying. Honestly."

She didn't look at him. "Let's talk about something else."

"But…er, okay…" They kept walking. "So, er…your dad writes the Quibbler, right…?"

END OF CHAPTER II

* * *

5/6/14

Hey all,

Sorry for the long wait. AP Exams are here, so school's getting rather hectic. This is as fast as I can go.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this second chapter. Please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum,_

Markus Akerbus


	3. Without Magic

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER III

Without Magic

Neither Luna nor Harry mentioned nonverbal magic again, and the rest of the day went smoothly, despite Ron eating too much pudding at both lunch and dinner and Harry almost falling down the Marble Staircase when Cho waved at him.

They met up again on Sunday, but Harry was too preoccupied with homework to carry on a conversation, so they stopped trying after a couple minutes and just walked in silence. Harry was figuring that he ought to get Luna a present for Christmas.

The next day Harry woke up in a bad mood. His first class was with Umbridge, and he sure as hell didn't want to see any more of her. He went about his normal morning routine, but performed every action with a vengeance, slamming the door to the washroom and ripping off his clothes and brushing his teeth until his gums hurt. By the time he climbed out of the portrait hole, though, he was feeling a little better.

Harry entered the Great Hall just as Luna was leaving, and he ran to catch her before she reached the exit.

"Hey, Luna!" She stopped in the doorway and turned slowly, looking a little dazed as usual. She smiled and waved dreamily as Harry got closer. "Hey," he said again, coming to a stop in front of her, "I was wondering if you wanted to meet up after dinner, like at eight or so."

"Sure," replied Luna, still smiling. "Where should I find you?"

"Er…here, I guess."

Luna didn't respond. She pointed over Harry's head at the door frame. "Mistletoe," she whispered. Harry glanced at the clump of white berries and back at Luna, to find her looking at him expectantly.

"Er…" Harry's heart beat suddenly faster, and he could feel heat spreading across his body. "Luna?"

"Aren't you going to take it down?" Harry stared at her uncomprehendingly. "It's probably infested with Nargles," she explained casually.

Harry stepped to the side as naturally as he could and looked up at the berries. "Well, I suppose. I mean, maybe we should just leave it there. It doesn't look like it has Nargles or anything."

"Oh, well, you can't see them like that," said Luna. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of colorful glasses. "Here," she said helpfully, handing them to Harry, "You can see them with these."

"Erm, no thanks actually. I believe you." He pulled out his wand. "_Liberi._" The mistletoe fell into his hand, and he dropped it in his bag gingerly. "So, er, here at eight?"

"Yes," said Luna, and she walked off serenely.

* * *

"Harry," whispered Hermione, "Harry, pay attention to this."

Harry looked at her. They were in Umbridge's class, and he had absolutely no desire to pay the horrible woman any attention. "What?"

"Just listen up for a minute."

Grumbling, Harry propped his head up with his arm, his palm supporting his chin. Umbridge had possibly the most irritating voice ever, but he forced himself to tune in to what she was saying.

"…and will end on page 238. Now, as you are reading, keep in mind the goals of this course. It is neither your privilege to use nor to attempt to use these spells, only to read and understand their uses. It is in your best interest…"

Harry glanced at Hermione. They both understood what was going on. The Ministry was afraid that the wizards and witches at Hogwarts might be used against them, so they were making sure that nothing new was taught at the school.

"…irresponsibility, and perhaps even disobedience. Do you understand?"

The rest of the class chorused, "Yes, Professor Umbridge." Harry just stared at the stumpy little woman hatefully. He could feel the anger building in his chest. She'd looked right at him on 'disobedience.' The Ministry was worried about _him_, and they were trying to cripple him by stunting his magical power. Harry had the overwhelming urge to lash out and hit something. But he couldn't. Then he'd _really_ get in trouble.

Harry tried to calm himself down, but it was impossible to ignore Umbridge's infuriating little voice. He thought about what Luna had said. Deep breaths. He let his chest expand, let everything loosen up inside him. With each exhalation he felt the anger go out of him, and he slowly regained control of himself.

"Mr. Potter, is there a problem?" He was still looking calmly at Umbridge.

"No, Professor," Harry heard himself say, but he was focusing on the inkwell on Umbridge's desk. He casually dropped a hand into his robes, resting his fingertips on his wand.

"Why aren't you reading, Mr. Potter?"

Harry could feel the entire class looking at him. He concentrated his energy. "Well, I was just thinking—" The inkwell exploded violently, splattering its contents all over Umbridge's desk and belongings, and the entire room jumped and stared at the damage, even Harry. He barely managed to keep a smile off of his face.

Umbridge turned back around and looked intently at Harry. After a moment, she made up her mind.

"Detention, Mr. Potter. Tonight at seven-thirty."

Harry heard a mutter go through the room. They'd all seen the explosion, and every one of them knew he hadn't uttered a sound.

But Harry didn't mind the detention. His only regret was that he wouldn't be able to go out with Luna that night.

* * *

Harry didn't see Luna at dinner, so he asked Hermione to explain to her what had happened. Then he reluctantly made his way up to Umbridge's office.

Her door was open, so he stopped in the doorway and knocked on the frame gently. She pretended not to hear him. Harry cleared his throat. "Professor?"

Umbridge turned around. "Ah, yes," she said, "Come in." She led him over to her desk. "Today you will be helping me pack, Mr. Potter. Clean the ink off of my belongings and put them neatly into my trunk. No magic." She held out a toady hand, and Harry handed over his wand gingerly.

Umbridge went over and sat facing the fireplace with a cup of tea, and Harry stood there looking down at her things. He reckoned it could be worse.

Sitting down, Harry grabbed one of the pictures and began wiping it with a rag. The ink had long dried, and for the most part it scraped off easily. When it was clean he placed it in the corner of the trunk.

"Wrap them, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge without looking over, "We wouldn't want anything to break."

"No, Professor."

After that the room was silent, and Harry continued packing everything into the trunk. The worst part was having to look at all the pictures of ugly cats and aging Ministry politicians.

About half an hour in, Harry saw movement outside the door, and he glanced over. It was Luna, dressed in maroon and looking more focused than usual. Harry opened his mouth to greet her, but she put a finger to her lips and pointed at the trunk, signaling for him to continue working.

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Luna point her wand at Umbridge before stepping backward into the doorway. Umbridge looked around with a confused expression. Seeing Harry still at work, she shrugged and went back to her tea.

Luna stepped back inside. "She won't hear us," she said to Harry, smiling.

"Wow," said Harry, "Where'd you learn that?"

Luna just winked. "Keep working. I have something to do."

Harry obeyed, but after a moment he glanced over and saw her slitting open the seat of one of Umbridge's armchairs. He chuckled to himself and went back to packing, wondering what she could possibly be doing.

Luna came back over with a huge grin on her face. "Here," she said, waving her wand. Everything flew off of the desk and packed itself neatly into the trunk.

"You're amazing," said Harry.

"Don't mention it." Luna pointed her wand at Umbridge again and stepped out of the room.

"Professor?"

Umbridge didn't look up. "Mr. Potter?"

"I'm finished."

Umbridge glanced over in surprise. "Well…" She looked flustered. "Well, I suppose you can go, then." She handed Harry's wand back reluctantly.

Harry made his way out of the room. "Thank you, Professor."

A few moments later, Harry and Luna were racing breathlessly down the stairs, their laughter echoing through the corridors. Harry couldn't take his eyes away from Luna's face, her hair flying, the enormous smile on her lips.

END OF CHAPTER III

* * *

5/26/14

Hey all,

If you haven't realized yet, I'm an insane perfectionist, which is part of the reason it takes me such a long time to update. I pretty much think about each word individually before I write it, so it takes me about five minutes to write a single sentence.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum,_

Markus Akerbus


	4. In the Forest

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER IV

In the Forest

"What was that?" Harry asked Luna as they made their way up the Ravenclaw Tower.

"Hmm?"

"You were doing something with her chair, right?"

"Oh, that. It's a Muggle joke I bought in London." She smiled mischievously. "She'll be in for a surprise pretty soon."

Harry wanted to know exactly what it was, but Luna refused to say more. He shook his head appreciatively at her silence.

"So…" said Luna after a moment. "I heard you…got control of yourself today." It had been several days since either of them had mentioned it.

"Yeah, in Defence. Like you said. I kinda just took a deep breath and all that." Harry looked at her. "What did everyone say happened?"

"Oh, just that you were staring at Umbridge and then the thing exploded. They're not really sure."

"Well, me neither," said Harry, and Luna smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Harry," Luna said softly, taking his hand for a moment. Harry smiled back.

* * *

By lunch the next day the whole school was buzzing about how Umbridge had accused her entire first period class of insubordination, threatening to give every one of them a detention. Apparently after she walked back into her office at the bell, they'd all heard an earsplitting honk that was hastily cut off. She had then stormed back into the classroom and detained all the students in the room.

Umbridge had since moved the offending armchair into the Entrance Hall, and was currently stopping random passerby for questioning. Harry watched gleefully from afar as she struggled to find an answer.

"Hey." He turned and found Hermione standing behind him.

"Hey," said Harry. "Do you know what's going on there?"

"No clue. She's tried _finite incantatem_ and everything, but it just keeps going off every time someone sits in it."

"Really?" Harry struggled to hide his grin.

"Yeah. She's stumped," replied Hermione. "Of course, none of the other professors are helping her."

"Serves her right," muttered Harry.

"I've heard she demanded that the Ministry send someone to figure it out."

"What?"

"Yeah, imagine that," said Hermione sarcastically. "Let's go before she tries to interrogate us."

Harry agreed, and they went back into the Great Hall to eat. Ron looked up as they sat down across from him.

"Hey, guess what."

"Er…"

"Dad's coming to look into that chair thingy," he told them.

"Huh? Why would he do that?" Harry couldn't imagine any reason to help Umbridge.

"Well apparently Umbridge contacted the Ministry to—"

"Yeah, we heard."

"Yeah, well, he mentioned to someone that it might be some Muggle trick, so they're having him take a look."

Harry laughed. "Well, tell him not to try too hard, anyway."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Harry asked Luna as he followed her into the Forbidden Forest. She had pulled him away from his dinner and insisted that he come with her. He had obeyed, of course, but she hadn't said a word about it since.

"I want to show you something."

"Isn't it getting a little late?" Harry asked as they stepped over a fallen tree trunk.

Luna glanced back at him. "Why, are you scared?" She smiled. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," she said teasingly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along.

A couple of minutes later they reached a small clearing, and as they approached Luna put a finger to her lips. They moved into the open quietly.

The sun had only just set, and the entire space was suffused in a soft blue light. On the ground were several dark shapes, occasionally moving and shifting positions.

"Threstrals…"

"Yes," said Luna. She led him a little closer, and they sat down on a log a few meters away. The nearest one raised its head momentarily, before disregarding them and lying back down.

Most of them were resting in groups of two or three, nestled up against each other. Several seemed to be snoring gently.

"Buckbeak used to sleep here at night," Luna said softly. Harry looked at her. "His favorite spot was right over there," she said, pointing. "He'd snuggle right up to that tree, and I'd sit with his head in my lap until he fell asleep." She wasn't crying, but her voice was sad. "He used to be the only one who understood me."

Harry didn't understand what she trying to say, and he just nodded.

"We used to fly out over the Lake, and he'd bring me to the cliffs on the other side and we'd sit on the edge there and look out over the school," she said, staring up at the sky. "I want to have a picnic out there some day."

Suddenly she pointed across the clearing. "Oh, look!"

It was a young threstral, with spindly legs and a pure white body, unlike the adults. It was struggling to walk to its mother, who was watching him carefully with each step. Harry and Luna both watched intently until it reached her.

Harry chuckled. "I can't believe I never knew about this place before."

Luna smiled, half-shrugging. "Not many people do. There's a lot people don't know, Harry."

He nodded absentmindedly. "You know, Umbridge still hasn't figured out your trick."

"Funny how magic makes us all so near-sighted, isn't it? It's just a simple air horn from a Muggle shop, yet no one suspects a thing."

"You said you got it in London?"

"I went with my mother," she said, nodding. "We were walking through Westfield and she said I should get something loud." Luna smiled. "It was the loudest thing I could find."

"I can imagine."

Their conversation lapsed into a friendly silence, and Harry glanced at Luna several times. Her silvery-blonde hair stood out against the darkness, and there was a faint smile on her lips. She seemed to be deep in thought, her eyes far away.

The threstrals were all sleeping by then, snuffling occasionally. Harry wondered how anyone could ever be afraid of them. They were so peaceful, so beautiful, and yet most people misunderstood them and called them strange. Harry's gaze wandered back to Luna. That kind of described her in a way.

"So," said Harry, breaking the silence, "you can see them." Luna looked at him. "Who did you, er…" Harry mentally kicked himself. "I mean, never mind—you don't have to talk about it. I shouldn't have even…"

Luna smiled serenely. "No, it's fine," she said. "I don't mind telling you. It was m—"

She would have continued, but Harry quickly leaned forward and kissed her, stopping her mouth mid-sentence.

Luna was very still, and for a moment they just stayed with their lips incredibly closer together. Then Harry realized what he'd done and turned bright red. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Luna put her hand over his, ending his train of thought. Her eyes were shining. "No, Harry, I liked it." She smiled at him and scooted closer. "How about another?"

Harry was dumbstruck. Then, nervously, he moved toward her again—much more slowly this time—and gently captured her mouth with his.

They kissed for several long moments, and Harry could feel his heart soaring in his chest. He pulled Luna to him and held her close, feeling her melt in his arms as they continued to kiss. This was the best he had ever felt in his life.

Soon the two teenagers broke apart, overcome by awkwardness and refusing to meet each other's eyes. Luna giggled as Harry gazed intently at his lap.

"So…" said Luna, and Harry's head snapped up to look at her, "Should we, um… start heading back?"

"Er, yeah…sure…yes," said Harry. "Yes."

"Okay," she said softly. She stood up to go, and Harry did the same, his eyes fixed on her face in the dim light, utterly entranced.

They hiked all the way back up to the castle in silence. Harry kept trying to make eye contact with Luna, but she playfully kept her eyes elsewhere. They touched occasionally as they walked, reveling in the thrill of being together.

They stopped just outside the Ravenclaw Common Room, and before entering Luna turned to Harry. They were both looking for another excuse to kiss. She pressed herself against his chest and looked up at him daringly. Harry smiled and rested his forehead on hers, gazing into her blue eyes.

"G'night, Harry," she whispered. Harry took her face between his hands and kissed her again. Her lips were indescribably soft, and he could feel her trembling with excitement. He moved back a little.

"Goodnight, Luna."

* * *

Hours later, as he lay in bed, Harry could still feel her soft skin, her slender frame in his arms, her lips on his. He could never have asked for anything more.

END OF CHAPTER IV

* * *

6/7/14

Hey all,

Cheers on another successful school year. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum,_

Markus Akerbus


	5. Around Hurt

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER V

Around Hurt

Luna made her way across the Great Hall. It was breakfast, and all the students were sitting at their tables, some eating, others finishing last-minute homework—that is, all except Harry.

Luna scanned the room again, but couldn't find him anywhere. The night before had left her dizzy and excited, and she wanted to see him again, to confirm her newfound feelings.

She approached Hermione, who was sitting by herself at the Gryffindor table reviewing her Potions notes.

"Have you seen Harry anywhere?" Luna asked her.

Hermione looked up and smiled knowingly. "Sorry, I haven't. Not today."

"Oh…okay." Luna dropped herself onto the bench across from the other girl.

Hermione eyed her thoughtfully. "You two have a good time last night?"

"Hmm? What makes you say that?"

"Oh, just that he was smiling like an idiot when he got back." Hermione shook her head. "I've never seen him that happy before in my life."

The blonde-haired girl felt a thrill at her words. She'd been the exact same way. She was usually in control of her emotions, but this time her heart had been beating too fast even for her to fall asleep.

"Yeah…well, if you see him, tell him I'm looking for him."

* * *

Harry hovered just outside the Great Hall. It was already lunchtime, and so far he'd managed not to run into Luna. He just didn't know what to say to her. How could he possibly face her after what he did?

At that moment Hermione strolled out of the Hall on her way to the restroom. "Hey, Harry. Luna was looking for you at breakfast."

"Was she?" Harry managed a weak smile as Hermione passed him.

"Yeah," she said. "She's in there."

"Okay…well, thanks." Harry proceeded hesitantly, and soon spotted Luna sitting at the Ravenclaw table. She beamed him as he entered, which just made him feel worse.

He walked over to her and slid down onto the bench across from her. "Hey."

"Hey, Harry," Luna said. She reached for his hand, but he moved it away, trying to be as natural as possible. He failed miserably.

"Look, Luna, I…I like you. Actually, I really like you. But look—I just…I can't, okay? I can't. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry. This isn't what I wanted…" Luna looked like she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her. "No, I mean, it's what I wanted, I just…" He had to stop. The look of confusion and embarrassment and pure hurt on Luna's face broke his heart. "Luna, I really do like you, honestly…"

"Just stop," Luna said tearfully, standing up. "Just stop talking." She fled the hall.

Harry stood to go after her, but he had no idea what he would say. He sat down dejectedly. He realized how much courage it took for her just to reach across the table for him. She had trusted him with everything and he'd let her down. He hated himself for it.

Harry glanced up and found the entire Hall staring at him.

"Bugger off."

* * *

At dinner Harry and Luna sat at the far end of the Gryffindor table, away from the others. They picked at their food, talking tiredly in low voices. They were both miserable. Luna had calmed down somewhat, but Harry could see that she still couldn't believe what he had said.

"I'm just not ready, Luna. I mean, I don't know…maybe it's not the right thing for us right now."

Luna traced her lips with her thumb. "Would you take it back?"

"What?"

"Would you take any of it back?"

Harry stared at her. He thought about how his stomach jumped every time he got close to her, how he wanted to get his arms around her whenever she smiled at him, how he always felt like doing a backflip after spending an evening with her—how even now he was trembling at being the center of her attention.

"I—no, of course not, but—"

Luna leaned across the table and grabbed his hand. "Then it was probably the right thing," she whispered. Part of Harry couldn't help but think that she was right.

* * *

That night was the last D.A. meeting before the holidays. Harry arrived at the Room of Requirement early to set up, and he found a hundred golden baubles strung from the ceiling, each with a picture of his own face. After a sigh of mild exasperation he pulled out his wand and charmed them all down.

He was putting out the pillows when the door creaked open and Luna entered. She smiled at him uncertainly, and came toward him.

Harry took her hands in his and smiled back. He wished there was something he could say to reassure her, to explain it all.

Luna glanced up. "Mistletoe," she said quietly. Harry didn't bother looking up. He leaned toward her and kissed her lightly.

"How're you doing?"

Luna half-shrugged. "Alright, I guess. You?"

"I've thought about it."

She nodded. She was about to say something, but at that moment the door opened, and Harry gently let her hands slip away. "Later, I promise."

It was Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. The Quidditch captain quickly assaulted Harry about his absence from the team, and he was only saved by the arrival of Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

When they were all present, Harry announced that they would be working on the Impediment Jinx and then Stunning. They all paired off and began practicing.

Several times during the meeting Harry glanced at Luna, who was partnered with Padma Patil. He really didn't know how he felt about the whole thing.

_I kissed her first_, Harry reminded himself, _and she let me get close to her_.

But he still didn't feel comfortable with being in that position. It made hotness spread across his entire body, to know that he meant everything to her.

At one point he passed Cho, and she beamed at him. "Hey, Harry."

He smiled halfheartedly. "How's it going?"

"Fine," she said. She was waiting for her partner to unfreeze. "How about you?"

"Great, doing great." He wanted to have a real conversation, but the image of Luna's shining blue eyes kept intruding in his head.

They both stood awkwardly. "Well, er, see you around then," she said.

Harry nodded. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

After everyone had left, Harry pushed two pillows together, and he and Luna lay down next to each other, staring at the ceiling. They were both silent for a long time.

"You know," said Harry, "Hermione warned me that I was going to hurt you. I guess she was right."

Luna looked at him. "But you haven't. You haven't hurt me," she said. "You've given me everything I could possible ask for."

"I messed the whole thing up."

She didn't say anything for a moment.

"I know what it's like, Harry. I know what it's like to be afraid of having someone care about you."

Harry turned his head to look at her.

"I—I wasn't raised by my dad," she said. "I mean, he was around, but he never taught me anything worth remembering. He was always busy working with his buddies." She paused. "The first time anyone took care of me was when I was ten. He was a stranger, no kids, no wife. No friends. He didn't know what it was like to have someone care either.

"I used to run out into the meadows and play by myself, because my dad wouldn't, and then one day during summer I was running around and just…found him, sitting out there by himself. He was as old as my dad, but he talked to me like he was just another lonely kid. We used to talk about anything. He taught me more about magic than this school ever did."

Harry was still gazing at her. "And…?"

"Well, when summer ended he just…left. He said he had somewhere to be. 'I'll see you again someday, Luna. Remember…the only people who matter are the ones who put you first.' That's what he said."

Harry reached over and took her hand, holding it tight.

"And then…well, ever since then I've just figured that people without friends are better. I mean, my dad had friends, and he was never there for me. And this man had no friends." Luna turned to look at Harry. "I never wanted to be close to anyone here. Being alone, not caring about what other people say or think—that's the only way I know how to live. Or at least it was."

Harry smiled and squeezed her hand. He leaned over to her. "I promise I won't be afraid anymore." Luna felt the overwhelming urge to nuzzle into the side of his neck. "Thank you," he whispered.

END OF CHAPTER V

* * *

6/12/14

Hey all,

Some of you may have been wondering why I included that bit about Ron's dad in the last chapter. I couldn't have him get attacked and then have Harry pulled out of Hogwarts, as happens in the book, so I had to make sure he was somewhere else at the time.

Also, thanks to everyone who's left a review so far. They really do help me and motivate me to write.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum,_

Markus Akerbus


	6. Under the Snakeskin

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER VI

Under the Snakeskin

Harry was slithering over the cool marble floor, gliding down the dark corridor with smooth movements of his powerful body...

He turned the corner. There was a tall figure standing ahead of him, in front of his destination. Harry saw the wand coming out. He tried to turn, but the man was too fast.

There was a flash, and pain shot through Harry's body…

His master was calling him back. He felt himself being sucked away…

Harry sat up with a shout, sweat pouring down his face, his scar aching. He let out a shaky breath. He was still in the Room of Requirement; it was dark.

There was a soft voice next to him. "Harry?"

He jumped at the noise, looking around frightfully. It was Luna, looking concerned. She propped herself up on her elbow. "Harry? Are you alright?"

"What?" He stared at her. Her blonde hair was everywhere, her eyes dark with sleep. "Yeah, yeah. No, I'm fine." He lay back down slowly, repositioning the pillow under his head. The pain was fading away. "Just…a nightmare. I'm fine."

Luna wasn't buying it, but she rested her head back on the pillow. After a moment Harry turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. She made a satisfied little sound before burying her face in his chest. Harry breathed her in, letting his worry fade away.

He didn't think he'd ever fallen asleep faster.

* * *

"If I may ask, how did you see this?"

Harry was in Dumbledore's office. At Luna's insistence, he had gone to see the headmaster about what had happened the night before.

"Well…I don't know, in my head, I guess…"

"You misunderstand me," said Dumbledore. "What I meant to say…can you remember, er, from _where_ you saw this incident?"

"Er…I was the snake."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, staring off into space. His eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Harry…I believe there is a connection between you and Lord Voldemort—a tenuous one, but very real nonetheless."

Harry stared at him questioningly. "What does that have to do with this?"

"A great deal. This snake you speak of, as it happens, was being possessed by Lord Voldemort—that is, up until Kingsley forced him out.

"That was Kingsley?"

"Yes. In any case, the reason you were a witness to this event was because of your unique relationship with Voldemort. It seems that his emotions and thoughts can be relayed to you, as well, presumably, as the other way around."

"But…haven't we always known that?"

"Well…yes, but this makes it more clear than ever—that this, er, _bond_ could be used to his advantage."

"But…what? I mean, how?"

"Well, assuming the Dark Lord becomes aware of this connection, he could undoubtedly gain some knowledge of your thoughts and memories."

"You mean, he could spy on me—us."

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Harry didn't speak. Dumbledore stood up and walked around the room, pausing to examine one of his bookshelves.

"I believe you have plans to visit the Weasleys this Christmas break, is that correct?"

"Yes, but what does that—"

"I'm afraid it's not safe for you to go." Before Harry could speak, Dumbledore continued, "Right now I think it necessary for you to be trained to close your mind—that is, the art of Occlumency."

"Sir…?"

"Occlumency." Dumbledore paused. "The interaction between your mind and Lord Voldemort's makes it much simpler for him to infiltrate your defenses. Occlumency will help you prevent this."

"Will you be teaching me…Occlumency?"

"No. I have asked Professor Snape to—"

Harry sputtered. "Professor Sn…?"

"Yes," Dumbledore cut in. "He is a most skilled Occlumens, and he will be able to teach you to defend yourself against Voldemort. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but—"

"You will see him once a week, starting on Monday."

* * *

Luna was waiting for him outside Dumbledore's office. She beamed at him as he came toward her. "So, what did he say?" she asked, linking her arm with his and falling into step beside him.

Harry bit his lip. "Erm…well, he said I might be sharing thoughts with Voldemort…"

Luna was watching his face. "And…?"

Harry looked at her in surprise. "Well…so, he's kind of in my head—which…sucks, of course—yeah, and he's making me take Occlu…something lessons with Snape."

"Snape?"

"Yeah, I know," said Harry, laughing. Luna smiled absentmindedly, her eyes far off. She was thinking about something. Harry slipped his arm around her waist. "You alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine." She brushed her hair from her face and smiled at him. He winked back.

Just as they reached the Great Hall, the giddy couple came across Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins going in the opposite direction. The blond-haired boy sneered at the two of them walking together. "Surely you can't be serious, Potter."

Harry forced himself to remain calm. He took a deep breath and gently squeezed Luna's waist, drawing a small giggle from her. He didn't respond to the other boy as they passed him.

"You know," said Malfoy loudly to his friends, "I wonder which one'll go loony first. Oh wait…"

Before they even started laughing Harry had disentangled himself from Luna and was turning toward the offenders. A second later his wand was out of his pocket and coming up to point at Malfoy's back.

"_Contundo_!" shouted Harry, but Luna pushed his arm to the side, and the spell missed completely. It hit the stone banister of the Grand Staircase and reduced a whole portion of it to powder with a bang.

Malfoy whirled around, his hand plunging into his robes. But already Professor Snape had appeared and was striding toward them.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked silkily. His eyes came to rest on the wand in Harry's hand. "No magic in the corridors, Mr. Potter."

Harry hated him even more thinking about the upcoming Occlumency lessons. "There's no problem, Professor," he said, putting his wand away.

"He destroyed the stairs, sir," said Malfoy.

Snape turned slowly to look. "Where?"

Malfoy pointed, but the gaping hole that had existed a moment ago was already sealed up, leaving the blond Slytherin to look around in confusion.

Harry glanced at Luna. She winked at him, grinning.

Snape turned back to Harry, and noticed Luna standing slightly behind him. He seemed conflicted for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it and stalked off without saying anything further.

Both Harry and Malfoy were so surprised that they had nothing to say to each other. Instead they just turned and went their separate ways.

Harry and Luna continued to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Ron and Hermione, who were eating lunch. In as few words as possible, Harry told them all about what he'd seen the night before, and what Dumbledore had said about it.

When Harry reached the part about sharing thoughts with Voldemort, Ron broke in. "So, how do we know you're not…_sharing_ right now?" he asked, gazing down at his plate.

Harry stared at him. "Well, you don't."

"Oh, okay," said Ron lightly, before going back to his food, seemingly uninterested, and Harry continued with his story.

* * *

From that moment onward, however, Ron didn't seem to know Harry's name anymore. In every class they had together—which was most of them—he sat on the opposite side of the room. At mealtimes he was nowhere to be found.

Even Hermione, who had stuck by him in every other situation, seemed less inclined to run into Harry, although he noticed that she still talked when Ron wasn't around. Harry soon resigned himself to a Ron-free next few weeks.

A couple days later, in the middle of dinner—for which Ron was absent—Harry stood up and gestured at the door. Luna also stood and followed him out. She looked at him questioningly as they climbed the Grand Staircase.

"Wanted to let that red-haired git grab something to eat," said Harry grudgingly. Luna smiled at his thoughtfulness, even in the midst of his anger. "He thinks I'm gonna turn into Voldemort at any second. They all do."

Luna was silent. He wasn't wrong. She wished there was something she could say to him…

"Oh, Harry, please stop," Luna cried out suddenly, clasping his hand in both of hers. "I can't stand it when you're like this."

"I'm sorry," said Harry miserably, glancing at her. "I mean, he did the same thing last year and everything. I don't get it. I'm still me." He ran his other hand through his hair. "I'm not trying to depress myself. It's just…"

Luna stepped in front of him and slung her arms around his neck, pressing herself against his chest. She giggled. "Should I cheer you up a little?" Harry's hands came to rest on her hips. He could feel his heart rate rising.

The blonde girl pulled him into a corner. Standing on tiptoe, she pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his. Harry responded enthusiastically, kissing her until they were both weak in the knees. After a long moment, Luna broke away gently and looked right at him. "I still believe in you."

END OF CHAPTER VI

* * *

6/16/14

Hey all,

Well, I'm writing this while watching the World Cup, so if anything seems a little off or not as well done as usual…that's why.

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum,_

Markus Akerbus


	7. Past Defenses

A RATHER LOONY CHRISTMAS

written by: Markus Akerbus

companion to: Harry Potter

setting: Order of the Phoenix

description: Harry begins to enjoy his evening walks with Luna a little more than he should.

* * *

CHAPTER VII

Past Defenses

Harry and Luna were sitting on his bed in the Gryffindor dorm, their backs against the wall. The other boys were all at dinner, so the room was empty.

They had drawn the curtains around the four-poster, but there was enough light leaking in for Harry to see Luna's face. She smiled at him, and he took her hand tentatively, interlocking their fingers.

"You know, maybe he's right," said Harry. "Maybe I shouldn't be hanging around all these people. I mean, if Voldemort can see what I'm thinking…I'm showing him everything that goes on in here."

"He could just as easily ask one of the Slytherins to tell him, Harry," reasoned Luna.

"But maybe Ron's right to be afraid of me."

"So what?" said Luna. "Why do you even care what he thinks?"

"You don't know what it's like to be famous," Harry snapped. "As soon as one person thinks something about me, so does everyone else."

Luna didn't speak right away. "You're right, I don't know what it's like to be famous. But I know what it's like to be _different_. And that's okay," she said. "'The only people who matter are the ones who put you first.' Do you think I ever cared what anyone said about me?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Luna put her finger over his lips. "Harry, you're going to learn to defend yourself against Voldemort, and that's that."

"But what if I can't? What if…what if he's using me right now?"

Luna closed her eyes and let out her breath. "Harry…"

"What?"

"Harry," she said again slowly, "I want to show you something." She looked nervous but determined. Before Harry could speak she sat up and started working on the buttons of her blouse.

Harry was utterly confused. Where was she going with this? She wasn't…?

Luna slid her arms out of the blouse and then slipped off her jeans. Harry gaped at the beautiful girl in front of him, marveling at the pale skin of her arms and legs in the darkness.

"This is how much I trust you, Harry," Luna said softly, shedding the rest of her garments. Harry felt like he wasn't getting any oxygen.

Completely naked now, she moved over to him and kissed him gently. Harry tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, gazing into her eyes.

"Come here," he said after a moment. Luna allowed him to pull her down into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind as they sat on the mattress. She made a sound that can only be described as a purr, leaning back into Harry's chest warmly. Harry kissed the side of her neck, feeling her tremble in his arms.

They were both silent for a long time, savoring the amazing feeling of this moment. Then, after a while…

"Harry," said Luna, "I want you to take a deep breath—yes, just like that." She covered his hands with hers. "Now, Harry…I need you to understand something: I'm here for you, alright? Everything I am—I'm here and I'm yours. Always."

Harry did understand, and he was flooded with emotion, tears running down his face as he held Luna tight. "Nothing has ever made me as happy as being here with you," she whispered. Harry felt a lump rising in his throat.

"Luna…" Harry paused, his heart beating erratically.

"Yes?" she said breathlessly.

"I love you."

In the dim light Harry saw Luna blush furiously, and he felt a shiver go through her at his confession. "Oh, Harry, I love you, too."

And in that moment Harry could have flown to the moon and back without any magic at all. He felt like jumping up and dancing and singing as loud as he could. And at the same time he never wanted to let go of his Luna ever again.

* * *

The next morning was Sunday, and by the time the sky was light Harry's dorm mates had already packed and gone off for Christmas break, leaving the room silent and empty. The cool breeze from the open window brushed through the curtains of the four-poster, causing the body in Harry's arms to shiver and snuggle closer.

Harry opened his eyes. They must have accidentally fallen asleep in his bed, because Luna was still lying there with him. And she was still naked.

Harry let out a surprised squeak, and Luna turned over sleepily to look at him.

"You alright?"

"Erm, you're not wearing any clothes," said Harry in a muffled voice, his reddening face buried in his pillow.

"You seemed fine with it last night." Harry looked at her, pointedly keeping his eyes above her neck.

"What?"

"You didn't seem to mind me taking my clothes off," said Luna teasingly, sitting up without any attempt at modesty. Harry felt his pants tightening.

"Oh, God," he moaned, rolling over and looking away. "Please don't."

Laughing, Luna began to get dressed.

"You know," said Harry after a moment, staring up at the canopy of the bed, "we should really do something about Umbridge."

"Yeah?" said Luna, pulling her jeans on. "Like what?"

"I don't know." Harry sat up. "I just feel like she needs a little more stress in her life."

Now fully clothed, Luna leaned over. "Well, we'll work on that." She gave him a quick kiss. "Let's go."

After breakfast, Luna insisted that they go out into the Forbidden Forest for Harry to practice his silent magic. That, she said, would be the first step to getting on Umbridge's nerves. Not that Harry was arguing against time alone with Luna. In fact he was rather looking forward to it.

* * *

Snape's office was dark, and the walls were lined with shelves of glass jars containing various strange, floating specimen. On his desk sat, for some reason, Dumbledore's Pensieve. Snape himself was standing behind it, his face illuminated by the light from the engraved basin.

"Sit down, Potter," said Snape, his voice laced with contempt, and Harry reluctantly obeyed.

"Dumbledore has explained why you are here?" asked Snape, moving around the room.

"Yes."

"…_sir_," corrected Snape from behind Harry.

"Yes, sir." Harry made sure to say it as disrespectfully as possible.

"Then you understand what it is I will be teaching you."

"I think so. Sir."

Snape elaborated. "The point of Occlumency is simple: to seal the mind against intrusion by others. The headmaster seems to think it will be of use to you…"

"He said Voldemort might—"

Snape glared at him. "…but I assured him that a mind such as yours is hardly capable of producing—such—a—defense," he said, pronouncing each word with relish. "In any case, the _execution_ is not quite so straightforward.

"In these sessions, you will learn to defend yourself against the Dark Lord. I will attempt to break into your mind; you will need to make your mind impenetrable, unreadable…"

"But—"

"You may use your wand to defend yourself in any way possible," said Snape, moving the Pensieve to a shelf out of the way. Harry stood up apprehensively. "We begin…now…_Legilimens_!"

Before Harry could begin to resist his vision flickered, and images flashed through his mind. He was back at the Dursleys, sitting on the kitchen counter, and Aunt Petunia was shaving off his hair…Dudley was shoving Harry's face down the toilet…Hermione was lying in the hospital wing, thick black hair covering her face…

Harry shook himself, but he couldn't stop the memories. His scar was throbbing.

A hundred dementors were drifting across the lake toward him…Voldemort was rising out of the cauldron, his evil laugh echoing through Harry's mind…

"No!" Harry shouted. He felt a sharp pain in his foot. Snape's office solidified, and Harry realized he had accidentally stung himself in the foot. He hopped on one leg for a few moments.

"Well, you managed to repel me eventually, but you need to concentrate. You need to keep me out—"

"But you're not telling me how!"

"I told you," said Snape dangerously, "to call me sir."

They glared at each other silently. Then Snape continued, "We will try again." He raised his wand. "One—two—three—_Legilimens_!"

He was forcing the Gillyweed down his throat, choking…there was a great black dog across the road, its eyes gleaming in the dark…Cedric Diggory was lying on the ground in front of him…he was dragging Dudley away from the dementors, his wand raised weakly…

"I know, I know!"

Harry was on his knees in Snape's office, his breath exploding from his lungs.

"Get up," said Snape sharply. "You are not trying. Control your anger, discipline your mind. Prepare yourself. _Legilimens_!"

The basilisk was rearing in front of him, preparing to strike…Hermione was putting her hands on his shoulders to kiss him on the cheek…he was feeling his hands on Luna's smooth skin, her clothes discarded…he was watching his parents in the Mirror of Erised, smiling at him, their arms around each other…

"No! No…" Harry was breathing hard, his head in his hands. This time Snape had lifted the spell before he'd fought back. He got up to find Snape standing with his wand pointed at the floor.

"Stay away from her," Snape muttered to himself. He wasn't looking at Harry.

"Sir?"

Snape looked up sharply. "Potter! I want you back on Wednesday, here, same time."

"Sure," said Harry, relieved to get a break. He shouldered his schoolbag and hurried out of the room.

END OF CHAPTER VII

* * *

6/20/14

Hey all,

If any of you are wondering how I decide the length of my chapters—its around 1500 words, and usually not more than 100 in either direction. For this particular story I chose short chapters, simply because the focus is on the relationship between Harry and Luna, not so much the events that are happening.

Again, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review and don't be afraid to criticize. Thanks!

_Solum optimum,_

Markus Akerbus


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